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That Should Have Left a Mark

The ITF Rules of Tennis includes a detailed appendix that describes procedures for inspection of ball marks for line call verification when tennis matches are played on clay. Today we are examining what happens if the line umpire or chair umpire can’t find the mark. Additionally, this rule also covers the situation when the actual mark is not readable.

Clutch Points

A research group has defined a new metric that identifies “clutch points” in tennis. At first glance it is a new way to understand matches and appears to provide new insight. Tennis matches hinge on big moments and carrying those points are crucial to winning. Some players are clearly better at these pivotal points than others. This new metric provides a fascinating way to break down and examine match play.

Voluntary Consolation… If You Insist

One of the primary arguments that people make in support of voluntary consolation is that it prevents players from having to wait around a day (or more) before back draw play begins. That line of reasoning conveniently neglects to consider that a traditional voluntary consolation draw requires ALL the players to wait even longer than the worst case scenario from the traditional First Match Loser’s Consolation (FMLC) back draw. You cannot make a voluntary consolation draw without knowing the exact number of players that will elect to participate.

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